A Bitter Rivalry
by Hclegend
Summary: After a surprising return from her watery grave, KMS Bismarck joins Azur Lane, much to Hood's chagrin. Why does the Royal Navy battlecruiser hold such resentment for her in particular? (Rated T for strong language and violence.)
1. Stage 1-1: The Revival of Bismarck

Content Warning: The following events are purely fictional and dramatised for entertainment. Hclegend and his associates do not consider these as anything more than headcanon. Any and all inaccuracies can be blamed on him not playing the game in months. The Commander is based off of the author's experience with Azur Lane and has been presented as accurately as can be. This includes having Lady White Heart of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series as his canonical secretary. For whatever reason.

* * *

It was another day at the headquarters of Azur Lane, the sun shone down on the harbor/base as the sole male occupant walked in for his daily grind. The Commander held his head in one hand, having had one too many shots of whiskey the night before after a _very_ successful mission involving the capture of several Iron Blood ships.

Taking care not to slam the door behind him, he entered his office, hoping to be alone for at least a minute or two to gain his usual composure. It was most unfortunate that he wasn't alone.

"Commander." His secretary, one White Heart, a being not of this world barked, dressed in a regal dress, holding several important-looking papers in her duck egg blue gloved hands. "Here's the daily report."

He waved the papers away. "Cool, I don't care. Why are you _here_ anyway? Shouldn't you be scouting with the other CPUs?"

"Because," she growled, slamming the papers down on his desk. "I wanted to talk to you about this _asinine_ choice in clothing." She pointed to herself and her poofy dress topped with tiara. "Do you know _how many_ looks I get on a daily basis with this fucking outfit on?"

The Commander sighed, placing both hands on his face as he sat down. "We talked about this Blanc. You can't go around in that skintight outfit of yours. That combined with your… _features_ would lead to a media shitstorm about the leader of the navy being a freakin' lolicon. Again." He remembered the last time that happened when he was caught patting HMS Unicorn to calm her down after she tripped. Illustrious hasn't looked at him in the same way since.

"Whatever." She sighed in frustration as she proceeded to leave the room. "I'm taking the day off anyway, as I haven't seen my sisters in a while, so I'll be home in Gamindustri. So… Bye." She opened the door to find a certain purple pudding lover impatiently waiting outside.

"Blaaaaanc! Come on already! If we're here for much longer this story will be classified as a crossover!" She whined adorably as the more serious of the pair sighed in frustration.

At least the Commander was left in silence. Taking the time out to enjoy some hair of the dog, he decided to get up. The work wouldn't do itself after all and his secretary had fucked off to do something more interesting.

* * *

Leaving his office, he wandered aimlessly around the base, seeing many familiar faces as he made polite talk with many of his subordinates. He'd long gotten over the fact that these shipgirls were in fact, soley female and that most of them had no interest in a 20-something with below average… Everything.

Most of them anyway, as he approached the canteen, he had nearly bumped into his greatest fighter in the entire fleet. The woman who had single-handedly held off Iron Blood forces while crippled and lived to tell the tale. Hell, she even looked past his lacking features and genuinely had feelings for him, as indicated by the fact she wore the Oath Ring.

"Ah, Commander." HMS Hood smiled warmly at the man in her life, always happy to see the Commander, even on her worst days. "Good… Well, afternoon now. I would offer you your morning cup of tea, but it was going to get cold so I enjoyed it myself instead. I hope you don't mind."

That was just like Hood, the glory of the Royal Navy. She was British to the core, never letting one of her truly perfect cups of tea go to waste. "Perfectly fine, my ladyship." He nodded, charmed by her kindness as always. "You are as caring off the battlefield as you are merciless on it."

Some would find this behaviour rather irritating, but most in the Azur Lane base had gotten used to the daily polite flirting between the duo. If anything, Hood had earned the right to be so open with the Commander, being by far the MVP of Azur Lane as a whole. Glory of the Royal Navy indeed.

"I wish you two would get a room." The lead ship of Eagle Union, USS Enterprise walked in to grab some coffee, being one of those while not _entirely opposed_ to the Commander wanting to be with whoever makes him happy, was more than tired of the constant flirting at her workplace. Especially since Enterprise herself had a bit of a crush on the merciless warlord. She wasn't hot or anything, she just had an inspiring work ethic!

"Has Helena found anything on the Sakura Empire?" The Commander snapped back into work mode, knowing that Enterprise wouldn't tolerate their flirting at her workplace for much longer at this rate. They were _barely_ holding off the Crimson Axis even with their new recruits, so losing Eagle Union's support would turn the tide of the war in _bad_ ways.

"No? She's been helping San Diego with her idol career. Don't know where she gets that confidence from on-stage." Enterprise shook her head. Eagle Union had a hell of a work ethic… In everything _but_ warfare.

The Commander shrugged. "Fair enough. Guess I'll go check on the Shipyard, see what the Wisdom Cubes have for us." And with that exchange, he headed out to the Shipyard to do just that, Hood in tow.

* * *

Arriving at the shipyard, The Commander and Hood observed the goings on of the busy birthplace of new shipgirls. For some unexplained reason, the Wisdom Cubes never gave the same result twice, resulting in not just Royal Navy and Eagle Union recruits, but Sakura Empire and Iron Blood ships as well! Naturally this would have led to some conflicts, but the Crimson Axis ships seemed more than willing to assist Azur Lane, seemingly unaware of their former rivalry.

Whatever the reason, any new recruit was immensely helpful despite the random nature of ship creation. They were all united against the Crimson Axis and by extension, the Sirens too.

"Commander!" A nerdy looking shipgirl ran up to the leader of Azur Lane in a panic. "Your ships from yesterday's Build Orders are ready to be deployed!" She adjusted her glasses.

"Thank you Langley. You may go back to… Doing your nerdy shit or whatever." He waved the small shipgirl off as the pair approached the summoning station. He'd poured thousands out of his own Coins into this latest batch of summons and he didn't pretend to understand the process, but it added shipgirls to their ranks so it had to be good.

The blue cube shimmered as the machine rotated it, causing the light shine brighter until it was blinding, before fading.

Stepping out of the summoning gate was a platinum blonde woman, similar in stature and build to Hood herself, with piercing blue eyes. Unlike the Royal Navy's glory, she opted to show more skin, with a tight officer's uniform covering most of her body. Clutching a hand to her head, she looked around in confusion, which was a typical response to this process and the scientists had no real explanation for it, let alone a solution.

"Where… Am I?" She spoke with a light Germanic accent, so she was definitely from Iron Blood. The Commander himself found it difficult to keep up with his own fleet, let alone the enemy's but Hood knew who this was from a single glance.

"KMS Bismarck. I thought I sunk you." Her bile was scarcely contained at her rival ship, which was unsurprising. The two had clashed many times and were considered the two greatest ships of all time. Their final clash at the Battle of the Denmark Strait was legendary for lasting several hours, both ships sustaining massive damage as the Royal Navy was forced to retreat. Hood could still feel her scars as she remembered that day…

* * *

"_HMS Hood! Do you copy?" The Commander's voice called over the radio communications, panic in his voice as he didn't want to lose any more ships today. "Disengage right now! You're barely held together at this point!"_

"_I refuse." She stated point-blank. She was on one knee, her rigging sparking as she clutched her arm, bleeding all over her union jacket. _

"_Excuse me?" The Commander's voice turned from fear to anger. "Did you just __**willingly**_ _disobey a command?"_

"_Yes." She spat, her mouth filled with blood. "I __**have**_ _to finish this."_

"_Finish __**what?**_ _The rest of the fleet has retreated! You'll die out there if you stay! Iron Blood reinforcements are inbound in t-minus 5 minutes!" He relayed what USS Helana had told him not moments before._

"_Not retreating, are we?" Bismarck gloated, wincing in pain as she tried to laugh. She was just as bad of a condition as Hood herself. "It'll be the last mistake you make, mein fraulein." _

_Hood shook her head, struggling to stand on her own two feet. "If you had any common sense, you'd retreat." She retorted, death in her eyes as they circled each other. "Iron Blood reinforcements are on the way, you have no reason to stay here."_

_The German battleship laughed through her own agony. "We both know that's a lie! Our rivalry is unmatched! You came here on a suicide mission __**because**_ _of me! But alas… It ends here." She aimed her remaining cannons at her sworn enemy. "Say hi to Prince of Wales for me."_

_A new wave of anger washed over Hood. "You… You did that to her?" She remembered how her ally went down in flames, ambushed by a Sakura Empire Destroyer on a mission gone wrong._

"_Well, I'm the one who __**caused**_ _it. I wouldn't waste my ammunition on such __**filth.**_" _She disregarded her ally as if she was talking about a bad restaurant. "You on the other hand? Akagi and Kaga sent me here __**specifically**_ _to take you out. I'd say we're equals in that sense, but only one of us is avoiding a watery grave today."_

_Hood had used Bismarck's running mouth to her advantage, as she had trained her own cannons on her. "Me." She said, before unloading her entire arsenal, annihilating the Iron Blood's most fearsome ship in a barrage of explosive shells._

_After the dust settled and confirming that all there was left was debris, Hood escaped to the best of her damaged ability before reinforcements could arrive to finish her off._

* * *

Hood snapped back to reality as her rival ship waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Mein fraulein?"

Hood slapped her with a gloved hand. "D-Don't call me that, you slutty excuse for a warship!" She put her hands to her mouth. "Commander! I'm sorry I said such words near you!"

The Commander shrugged. "My secetary usually calls me a fucking pansy at least 3 times before I finish my morning tea. Surprising show of anger from _you_, though!"

Bismarck simply rubbed her cheek, the skin reddened. "I see." She said simply. "My apologies, Commander. If I knew I'd garner such a response..."

"Don't worry about it." He dismissed the former Iron Blood's concerns. "We have no idea how the hell this works, otherwise we would have recruited you sooner! You're a legend among Azur Lane!"

Hood rubbed her temples. "Of course she was. I'll go make some tea." She simply said before leaving the room, rage filling her core for the first time since that fateful day.

After she left the room, Bismarck had the decency to rub the back of her head in an embarrassed manner. "Well, zis will make relations with you _awkward_ now, won't it?"

"First time I've seen her so _angry_. What did you do?" The Commander was shocked at his beloved's temper.

"Vell, you know that already." She adjusted her cap, confidence bursting from her, but not her clothes thankfully. "I am KMS Bismarck, the number one Battleship in Iron Blood's ranks! I have many tales of glorious victory… But why am I here? The last thing I recall was…"

"_Me."_ The anger in Hood's voice haunted her. "My own hubris cost me my life. This second chance… Am I deserving of it?"

The Commander put a hand on her shoulder. "Course. Might be a little weird to work with your enemies, but I'm sure you'll adapt. Hell, I know some Sakura Empire ships that would be ecstatic to know of your return to the living world."

Bismarck put her hands together happily. "Excellent! We will celebrate our reunion over some glorious Iron Blood beer and sake!"

The Commander nodded in agreement. "Nothing wrong with a drink. Let's go."

The pair walked out, ready to exchange war stories of battles past and fight for the world's future together.

* * *

A/N: I'm unsure if I should continue this. I have some ideas on future events, but between not really playing Azur Lane anymore and writing an entirely different story, this may remain as a simple one shot.


	2. Stage 1-2: Fallen Allies

Hood seethed at herself. She let her battle scars get the best of her. Right in front of the Commander at that. Looking at her ringed hand, she sighed. She knew that the Oath was little more than an acknowledgement of her service for Azur Lane, but to her it meant so much more. The Commander had chosen _her_ over everyone else.

The kettle finished boiling as she recomposed herself, something she was always good at. A leader needs to keep up her image after all. She was the unofficial second in command of Azur Lane, keeping the place ship-shape while the Commander was out. Royal Navy ships in particular looked up to her, so she had to be calm and collected at any and all points of the day.

She poured a cup of tea and sighed. Bismarck was going to have to be dealt with in one way or another. And with the way she talked to the Commander, they'll get on pretty well. Even better. Fantastic. Fuck everything.

"My Lady, you seem troubled." A maid dressed shipgirl interrupted Hood's monologue to herself. It was none other than the loyal maid HMS Belfast, who despite her appearance was a deadly Light Cruiser when needed. Such as the time Enterprise was ambushed by some Sakura Empire assassin and how she managed to save her in the nick of time. When she wasn't in combat however, she was just like any other maid.

"Belfast, I told you that there's staff here to look after the ships here already. Take off that silly maid outfit." It was a habit at this point to start all conversations with her trying to get her to relax while around the base.

"Of course not, My Lady. Someone has to make sure this place is _properly_ cleaned up between missions." Belfast did a curt bow, pinching the edges of her maid dress as she did so. "Regardless, it seems the new shipgirl has you troubled. May I ask why?"

Hood gave a _look_. "You treated my wounds for days after that battle. You _know_ why."

Belfast poured herself a cup of tea. "Of course, My Lady. It is only polite to ask." She put a smidgen of milk into her own cup. "I feel that your problem is that you're unable to let go of the past. It _has_ been a while since that battle."

Hood's gaze hardened. "It's not _just_ that. She was the reason why we lost Prince of Wales. You can't just forgive someone for costing you a valued ally like that. The rivalry was mostly my own competitive spirit, but when you take out one of my trusted friends? _That_ is when HMS Hood takes off her gloves, quite frankly." She stood her ground as she took a sip of tea.

Belfast tilted her head, her silver hair flopping lazily with her. "Not quite what I mean. Obviously her crimes against the Royal Navy and Azur Lane as a whole won't be forgotten, any Sakura Empire or Iron Blood ship knows that. But it sounds like Bismarck herself is willing to let this go, at least that's what I'm hearing."

Hood gripped the handle of her teacup with nearly enough force to shatter it. "Don't tell me you have one of your maids spying on them."

Belfast averted her eyes. "Of course not. Why would I have Edinburgh spying on her while the Commander and Bismarck are hanging out at the bar?"

Hood sighed, massaging her temple again. "I really wish you wouldn't try to use your entourage as a spy network. If nothing else, the maid outfits are _extremely_ conspicuous."

* * *

"Commander? There's a maid staring at us." Bismarck remarked while tanking her upteempth beer, having gotten into a drinking contest with the infamously alcoholic leader of Azur Lane.

The Commander waved his hand drunkenly. "Don't worry about it. Just Belfast being _weird_ with the newbies again, Come on, we're 4 for 4, Will of the Iron Blood. See how much beer I can get in that iron blood, eh?"

* * *

Hood finished off her tea with another sigh as she got up from the canteen's table, taking her used cup with her. Even with Belfast's support, she'd have to take care of the newest problem in her life. Thankfully the waters around Azur Lane had been calm lately, otherwise the stress might have gotten to her.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she bumped into a sleepy-looking lump, nearly knocking the brunette off her feet.

"Oof. Ghosts shouldn't be able to bump into people…" The ever-tired USS Long Island responded, rubbing her head with her long sleeve, lifting her coat slightly. While in the early days of Azur Lane she was a valued ally, the Commander moved her to escort duties once other aircraft carriers became available. Of course they had a bit of a _fling_, bonding over their shared love of gaming, but it wasn't meant to be. Why she was still here was a mystery, but Azur Lane's docks had more than enough room for her even if she was barely a presence around the base.

"Ah, Long Island. Apologies." Hood stated simply, her patience worn thin by recent events. "I was lost in thought there and didn't see where I was going. Are you quite alright?"

The light aircraft carrier nodded shyly. "Y-Yes, miss Hood." Despite being around even longer than Hood, the early ships respected her without question, breaking out of their usual personalities in order to show respect to their superior.

"As you were, then." Hood walked off, leaving the ghost of Azur Lane to wander the canteen once more, looking for snacks and possibly a pair of pants too. With that incident out of the way, Hood had time to think about how to approach this situation. While she wasn't the smartest in Azur Lane, she knew how to position herself in a fight, so she had to approach the situation as if it was just another duel with Bismarck.

"_But it sounds like Bismarck herself is willing to let this go."_ Belfast's words echoed in her mind as she remembered the genuine worry in the Iron Blood battleship's face after she had that flashback. Was it just because she'd _have_ to work for Azur Lane or risk being deconstructed for spare parts? Or was it a genuine attempt at reconciliation?

Hood returned to her room, closing the door gently behind her. Belfast had opened the union jack covered curtains before, showering every inch of the regal room in sunlight. Medals of honor, snippets of newspaper detailing her many victories, even the Oath she had written for the Commander when they realized what they had together.

She smiled sadly as she approached one wall in particular. A group photo of every Royal Navy ship at the time, with… Deceased teammates crossed out. Norfolk, Repulse, Warspite, Ark Royal…

She stroked the cross over Prince of Wales' delicate face. She was dedicated to the end and was more loyal to the Royal Navy than even Hood herself. She aspired to defend the rest of her comrades with the conviction that legendary ship had. It probably hurt even more knowing what happened that day…

* * *

"_My Lady, I __**insist**_ _on going on this mission. You're falling apart at the seams!" Prince of Wales demanded in the war room, having gotten intel on an unescorted cargo ship with Sakura Empire's markings. "You __**know**_ _I'll be able to escort it to Azur Lane's waters back safely, there's nobody else here more experienced at it!"_

"_I-It's fine." Hood shot the idea down, tired from a recent rush of attacks from Iron Blood, including another duel with Bismarck. "The Commander has faith in me, and as his beloved-"_

"_As his beloved you should take a freaking break! He's worried sick about you!" Prince of Wales slammed a gloved fist onto the briefing table. "I understand that your spat with Bismarck makes you think you're focusing too much on Iron Blood, and that's exactly __**why**_ _you need a day to cool off and relax. If I have to go AWOL and risk dishonorable discharge myself I will."_

_Hood sighed, massaging her temples. "Alright. I'll trust my fellow battleship on this one. Please stay safe."_

_Prince of Wales turned to leave the room, her braided her flinging from the force of her turn. "My Lady, you know I'm the best battleship in all of Azur Lane. This'll be a cinch."_

* * *

She had gone through the day's events many times in her mind. It was an ambush set up by Iron Blood to lure _**her**_ out, not Prince of Wales. It was said that Bismarck was so disgusted she blew up the cargo ship herself before storming back to Iron Blood's headquarters, leaving a Sakura Empire destroyer to finish her off.

"Typical Iron Blood cowardice." Hood spat. Few things in life made her more angry than dirty tactics. Royal Navy ships were raised on honor above all else, even if that meant losing a fight.

"_Me."_ Then again, what she pulled on that day… was that dirty fighting in of itself? Was she no better than her former rival?

She sighed, realizing she was doing that a lot lately, though it wasn't surprising. Bismarck had cost her so much. She took the honor of slaughtering her comrades just to spite her and bait her into an uneven fight. She was lucky that the Iron Blood reinforcements were too focused on the loss of one of their own, otherwise Hood would have gone down with her.

A knocking came from the door. "Mein fraulein?" It was _her._ Even with her voice muffled, that Germanic accent was unmistakable. It had been burned into her mind after so many battles with her and Hood thought she'd never have to hear it again.

"Go away." She stated simply. "I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment, much less Iron Blood _scum_ like you."

The door opened anyway. "Vell, I don't feel comfortable talking to you so soon after you stormed off, but it's on the Commander's orders. He thinks it'll be awkward if we don't talk."

"It **is** awkward. You murdered my comrades in cold blood and now you want to be all sunshine and smiles with me. I think you know if I wasn't so honorbound I'd slug you in the face." Hood's rage had built up over the war, the target of her emotions standing right behind her. She unclenched her fist. "I thought it was over."

"The war won't be over until the Crimson Axis realize what the Siren's true intentions are." Bismarck admitted coldly. "They sent me out to die because I found out what they'll do once Azur Lane is wiped out."

Hood was still enraged, but wanted to give her a chance for honor's sake if nothing else. "And?"

"They'll wipe out the Crimson Axis too. They're using us as pawns. I was so _stupid_, so focused on this kuhscheiße rivalry between us that I lost sight of Iron Blood's goals. If I could apologise to my former comrades…"

"You've been drinking. You don't mean it." Hood didn't even turn around. "I can smell that _disgusting_ beer on your breath from here and you just want to stab me in the back just like when you shot down Prince of Wales. I know your type."

"I… Aren't some of your comrades former Iron Blood? How could you say such things about them?"

Hood finally turned around as Bismarck took a step back. It was _that _look, the last thing she saw before being killed by that barrage. "Let me make this clear. You will **never** be my "comrade". You're here due to pure chance and if you don't watch your tone with me I'll make sure you go down in flames all over again. **GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM, YOU SKANKY DISGRACE OF A BATTLESHIP!**" She pointed a gloved hand to the door as Bismarck walked out backwards, not looking her back in the eye before Hood slammed the door _hard_, nearly cracking the wood as she did so.

Bismarck didn't say anything, but stood outside of the room for a few moments, processing what just happened. Looking down at her boots, she started to head back to the bar. "I _told him_ it'd be too soon…" She muttered dejectedly. Truthfully she was _willing_ to let the past go at this point. She had lost to Hood finally and that was the only thing keeping her in the Crimson Axis.

Hood was going to _flip_ when she found out the bad news, which was part of why she came to talk in the first place. She clutched a piece of paper in her hands. Namely, one about her imminent deployment as part of the main fleet.

* * *

"_Now obviously Bissy, your reputation precedes you." The Commander explained, still __**mostly**_ _sober after the two shared a drink together._

"_Stick to Bismarck, please." She politely turned down the nickname, taking a large drink herself. "And I am aware of my status as "The Hood of Crimson Axis". I must say I'm rather flattered by the comparison, but it's clear that I'm not HMS Hood. Not by a long shot."_

"_Nonsense. You're legendary for a reason. You lost the final duel by a hair! You know I love Hood, and having an equivalent to her that enjoys a little drink? Made my week."_

"_I see." She took a long drink of her beer. "Apologies if I seem distant, Commander. What she said to me in that room. I hurt her, didn't I?"_

_The Commander nodded solemnly. "She won't let go of her fallen comrades so easily. Royal Navy are nothing if not a family and Hood... She loved them like they were her own children."_

_Bismarck sighed into her drink. "I knew it wouldn't be so easy. I'm surprised you didn't have me executed on the spot."_

_He shook his head. "Nonsense. We need all the help we can get. You've probably seen some Sakura Empire and Iron Blood comrades here. This is war Bismarck. We can't let petty differences split us apart."_

_Bismarck nodded in understanding. "I see. I'll take the first deployment you can make for me then. I want to prove that I'm a changed woman."_

_The Commander blinked, pulling out his phone to check his scheduled deployments. "Well, the first one we have… Has Hood in the backlines as the flagship. Are you su-"_

"_Even better. If I'm unable to convince her with words, I'll prove my worth the same way I always have: On the battlefield." Bismarck steeled her resolve, knowing that she would have to deliver the news personally._

* * *

Hood continued to stare at the group picture longingly, as if looking for long enough would bring them back. She knew that in her heart that they wouldn't come back. There was always the hope of the Wisdom Cubes, but any ship summoned by Azur Lane then destroyed hasn't come back...

More important was the thought rattling around in her head. One that while it went against everything she believed in, _felt_ like the right one.

"Maybe... I should give her a chance." She murmured to herself as she turned away from the photo, tears in her eyes. She'd cost her so much in the past, but at the same time, she had sunk many an Iron Blood ship herself. Who's to say Bismarck didn't lose close friends because of her own actions?

All of this time, she saw her as a merciless warlord, yet she came to her room personally to explain herself and even if it _was_ on the Commander's orders, she seemed genuinely sorry… Right?

Hood shook her head again. There was only one way to see her true intentions: On the battlefield. She'd schedule Bismarck to be part of the backline on her next deployment if she had to. Pulling her personal phone out of her pocket, she opened her contacts list… At least she would have if the phone wasn't ringing. It was the Commander, too.

"Hood, Bismarck wants to be on your next deployment with you. If you want, I'll keep Enterprise on the drydock and let her fight alongside you?" he sounded unsure about the arrangement. Also drunk.

"Do it." Was all she said, putting the phone down afterwards and sighing in relief. That could have gotten awkward, but it seemed that they were on the same page for once.

She took one last look at the group photo and smiled. It's what they would have wanted anyway. Who's to say that an Iron Blood and Royal Navy ship can't resolve their differences?

* * *

"Alright bullins, I got some orders from the top brass here, purin!" One of the few Trial Bullin Mk. II remaining announced, the unofficial leader of the group of engineering lolis announced. "Seems we have to fix up… KMS Bismarck's rigging, purin. Sounds a bit tricky but I know we can do it, purin."

"Bulli! Bulli! Bulli!" The group of universal ship engineers rushed around the dock, fixing up the destroyed remains of the salvaged KMS Bismarck to the best of their ability using whatever they could find around the dock. Iron Blood ships weren't really their forte (Mostly because they couldn't read the German instructions) but they were determined to do their duty, dropping any other projects around the drydock for the sake of the crumbling boat.

* * *

"So, Iron Blood forces have been spotted escorting some merchant ships?" Hood sipped at her strater-tea, going over the upcoming mission with the Commander and Bismarck.

"Seems to be the case." The Commander looked at the notes the scouts had gathered once more. "Looks to be innocent enough, but as this is _Iron Blood_ we're on about, it could be those new cannons that they've sorely needed for a while. You've been… _dead_ for the last few months, Bismarck so you might be out of the loop on this."

Bismarck shook her head. "Nein, I was insistent on having our cannons upgraded to Akagi mere _days_ before I was… Shot down. Didn't have time to get the cannons imported _and_ equipped onto my rigging before that battle, though. Seems they finally got onto that."

"They _would_ have anyway. We've intercepted every cargo ship that has been carrying them and _ahem_ acquired them for our own use." Hood explained, her face neutral.

Bismarck blinked. "Seems I'll get those upgrades then. It'll be weird to steal from my former allies, but I'll manage."

Hood's face remained neutral. "I was unsure of bringing you along due to your ties with them, but it seems you're more than prepared. Commander, when do we ship out?"

"I gave orders to the bullins to work on Bismarck's ship as their top priority." He turned to Bismarck. "You'll be ready to go within the hour, though I'd recommend at least trying out your new rigging before fighting anyone. Royal Navy's tech is a damn sight different from Iron Blood and Hood graciously lent you her old cannons. Obviously if you want to switch back to Iron Blood's tech you'll need to pull this off, so you know… Don't fuck it up."

Bismarck gave a grin. "Iron Blood _doesn't_ fuck up. Well, except for that _one time_ when we accidentally went to Hawaii rather than Alaska. I still refuse to believe it was an accident."

"Sounds like fun." Hood smiled warmly. "I still have my old swimsuit. Commander?"

He choked on his coffee. "We went to a beachside resort for our honeymoon. Ended up having to take her rigging to the beach to stop horny men from flirting with her. Speak softly and carry a twin 127mm Mark 12 cannon became a running joke between us after that."

"It was fun aside from that." Hood clarified. "Ended up shooting fireworks out of those cannons, it was _magical._"

"Back to the matter at hand." The Commander quickly got the topic back on track before he could think more about his Oath'd ship in that swimsuit. "There shouldn't be any Aircraft Carriers launching planes around the cargo ship, but just in case you both should pack some anti-air ammo."

Bismarck nodded. "If Akagi learns that I'm now working for Azur Lane, she'll pull out all the stops to sink me again. Probably turn up herself."

"I'll check on my anti-air cannons before we head out. Good day, Commander. Bismarck." Hood finished her team and left the room, taking the cup and saucer with her.

An awkward silence fell between the two remaining people in the room. "I don't think she trusts me to cover her."

"Don't worry about her. When it comes to work, she puts it all on herself. It's pretty unhealthy." The Commander shook his head to dissuade the battleship's concern.

With a curt nod, she got up herself. "Well, might as well try out that new rigging before we head out. Good day, Commander. I'll keep in touch. "

He nodded back. "Same to you, Bismarck. Oh and before I forget." He held out a hand as she shook it back. "Welcome to Azur Lane."

"Good to be here. Better than being in a watery grave, at least." She let go of the Commander's hand before finally leaving the room, preparing for her first mission since her death.

* * *

"Commander Akagi. We have news from our mole in Azur Lane." The Demon, Ayanami walked into the main war room of the Crimson Axis, now located in the heart of the Sakura Empire.

"Excellent." She said simply. "Send her some catnip for being a good girl, but before that tell me the good news."

The destroyer-class ship opened the letter she had received. "It's not _good_ news, Commander."

A rare surprised face formed on the foxgirl. "Oh?"

Ayanami stared her CO in the face without fear. "It's Bismarck. She's been spotted in the Azur Lane base and according to rumors, is going to be working with them from now on."

Akagi's look of surprise turned to one of disappointment. "A shame, but not entirely unexpected. Join Prinz Eugen on her next mission. Take her out before she becomes a threat to us again."

"Again?"

"You listen too much, rabbit." She made a shooing motion to her protege as she left.

"I'm a demon…" She muttered inaudibly as she left the leader of Crimson Axis, who sighed melodramatically as she pulled out a photo of her former comrade.

"Ara ara, Bissy. You knew too much of the Sakura Empire's intentions and were silenced before you could screw things up for me. Now you're working with _them._ You were undeserving to run Iron Blood, let alone the Crimson Axis."

She got up out of the chair she had been lying on, walking off to find her sister. "But I think this fox will have some bratwurst tonight."

* * *

Down at the testing range, Bismarck struggled to adjust to her new rigging, the unfamiliar weaponry missing the targets wildly as she grew increasingly frustrated. It wasn't entirely the technology's fault she was missing so much either, as these were _Hood's_ old cannons, the shipgirl who famously shot down a fleet of Sakura Empire destroyers in a frenzied rampage after the loss of Ark Royal. She didn't even take any _damage_ while she did so, her fury scaring them that much that their shots wildly missed…

Much like that cannon shot just did. Bismarck sighed again. Her insistence on being on the _next_ deployment was biting her hard now and it was too late to try and get Enterprise to replace her, being assigned to a different task entirely after this deployment was finalized.

"Goddamn red tape." She muttered, trying out her other weaponry on the range, being significantly more accurate than her main guns. Smiling to herself, she felt her confidence return as she tried out her anti-air cannons, once again nailing several targets in a single burst of gunfire.

Nodding to herself, she headed back to shore, disengaging from her rigging, causing the Bismarck to return to its previous, ship-sized state as both floated in the crystal-clear waters around the naval base. Hopefully, Crimson Axis wouldn't send their best today, as her main guns needed some more getting used to. Hopping off her battleship, Bismarck headed back to the canteen for a coffee to sober herself up before deployment. This wasn't even the first time she had enjoyed some beer before a mission, but she needed to make a good first impression on her former rival.


	3. Stage 1-3: First Deployment

"Alright. Hood, Bismarck, you ready?" The Commander's voice crackled over the video as the two former bitter rivals exchanged a nod.

"Always." Hood stated simply, focused on her work more than anything.

"Bismarck is ready to sink any ship that crosses her path." The battleship crossed her arms with a sigh. "Assuming that I can _aim_ these things, anyway."

"Well, best of luck to the both of you. I'll have Helena giving me status updates, as usual. Try to keep a low profile until you reach the cargo ship." The commander sighed. "That means _don't_ go on a rampage, Hood dearest."

"I-It was one time!" Hood blushed furiously. "Regardless, we'll be setting off now." She tried to regain her composure.

The two shipgirls equipped their weapons as they sailed towards the general location of the cargo ship, keeping an eye out for _anything_ suspicious.

But it was smooth sailing, quite literally as the two approached the seemingly unguarded cargo ship, the crew seeming to ignore the fact that the two were approaching.

"I have an idea." Bismarck put a hand to her chin. "Stay out of sight, I'll go on ahead and pretend to still be with Crimson Axis… If they knew I was sunk, it would have devastated their morale."

Hood crossed her arms with a glare. "I think the death of Bismarck would have been a big deal, considering you were the top battleship _in _Crimson Axis." She had her doubts about the plan.

Bismarck sighed as she opened up communications with the Azur Lane base. "What do you think?"

"Hmm? I wasn't listening." The Commander admitted. "I was uh… Sorting through paperwork."

"That means he's at the bar. Again." Hood put a hand to her head in frustration. "The man's a tactical genius, but once he gets on the drink…"

"I was _just saying_ to Hood I could infiltrate the cargo ship myself and steer it towards the Azur Lane base without any trouble, as the news of my death would have been very much kept to rumors." Bismarck explained.

"I for one think it's asinine to let you go off on your own." Hood kept her hand at her head, massaging her temple. "I have been hearing rumors of a mole in Azur Lane itself, if those are true then someone at Crimson Axis must know of your revival."

"First I've heard of this. Then again, that neko shipgirl is pretty sketchy." The commander hmm'd. "I'll allow it."

"What?" Hood yelled in surprise and anger as Bismarck floated off towards the ship heading to the Iron Blood base of operations. "Are you insane?"

"No… Just drunk?" The commander innocently asked.

"I'm staging an intervention when we get back." Hood sighed again, using both of her palms to massage her temple, unaware of the danger that lurked above the waves.

* * *

Bismarck disengaged her rigging, it turning back into the glorious battleship that towered over the cargo ship. "Guten tag!" She waved to the crew operating below. "I can escort you to Iron Blood! I know a faster way, follow me!"

The crew unaware of Bismarck's recent revival, shrugged and started to follow the battleship as it went full tilt towards Azur Lane's waters.

* * *

With a hearty sigh, Hood opened her eyes, seeing Bismarck's ship being followed by the cargo ship. " I don't believe this…"

"I wouldn't." A young, stoic voice caused her to train her cannons on a Sakura Empire destroyer with white hair. "Prinz Eugen and I have been sent to ensure that cargo ship goes to their rightful owner." She grabbed her blade. "And to take out anyone in our path."

The Royal Navy ship trained her cannons on the assassin, leaping back in order to gain maximum reaction time if she tried anything. The two stared each other down for several moments, neither of them saying a word.

Ayanami let go of her sword's handle, not even unsheathing it. "But… I don't wish to fight." Was all she said, before skating away without another word. Weird. Saved her some ammo, though.

Her hands came to her face in shock. _Bismarck was escorting the cargo ship. And she said that __**Prinz Eugen**_ _was coming for her._

Floating across the water as fast as she could, Hood hurried to her partner for the mission, determined not to see another ally go down in flames. Even if it was _her._

* * *

"Deutschland, Deutschland über alles..." Bismarck sung to herself as she gradually advanced to Azur Lane's waters. It was honestly kind of _easy_ to convince the crew. Too easy, even…

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of her cannons suddenly exploding. "Scheisse!" She yelled in her native tongue as the force nearly knocked her off the boat entirely. Forcing her rigging back on, the crew were understandably worried about their supposed escort being under siege.

Scarcely dodging a second shot due to her now much more mobile form, Bismarck looked around for who could have shot her. Spotting Iron Blood markings in the distance, she sighed before she trained her cannons onto the white haired Heavy Cruiser approaching her.

"Oh~ Lord Bismarck~." She greeted with all the subtlety of an exploding warship. "Did I accidentally take out one of your _Royal Navy_ marked main guns?~"

"Prinz. Eugen." Bismarck crossed her arms. Of course Akagi wouldn't make this easy on her, sending her _least_ loyal former comrade to try and take her out. "To what do I owe the _pleasure?_" The last word dripped with sarcasm.

Despite an entire battleship's worth of cannons being pointed at her, Prinz Eugen still approached her former superior. "Just to escort this ship to Iron Blood safely. You've been _dead_ for some time so you might not know this, but Akagi is getting really cranky about getting these new cannons to Iron Blood's forces. And of course as their new de-facto leader, I had to oblige~."

Bismarck rolled her eyes. "Of course she'd make you the leader of _my_ forces, you schlampe." Her beef with Prinz Eugen was pretty well known among Crimson Axis… So of course the two were sent together as often as possible. Akagi always had it out for her ever since she and Prinz met.

"Wow, crude much. Seems that you coming back didn't improve your attitude." She sighed melodramatically as she floated backwards, training her cannons onto the battleship. "No hard feelings, mein fraulein, but Akagi wants you gone."

"**ROYAL NAVY'S GLORY!**" Came the battle cry of a familiar voice before Prinz Eugen was assaulted by a barrage from above, her main guns malfunctioning from the damage.

"N-nani?" Prinz quickly flipped around, seeing the Glory of the Royal Navy herself preparing another barrage. "Lord Bismarck. Hood is just over there and she's alone! Quick, we can take her!"

She seemed unaware of the truth at least. Bismarck shook her head. "Looks like Akagi sent you out here to die as well. How much did you find out?"

"I… How did you…"

Another barrage of fire knocked out her anti-air cannons. "BISMARCK, PLEASE!" She begged as Hood prepared a third and final attack as the Heavy Cruiser grabbed Bismarck's jacket. "WHY AREN'T YOU SHOOTING YOUR SWORN NEMESIS?" Her tone was very clearly escalating as Bismark pushed her away before floating back.

"It's _Lord Bismarck_ to you and I'm not shooting her because… We're in the same fleet. I work for Azur Lane." She mock saluted as her grin turned shit-eating, training her own cannons on the traitorous Iron Blood ship. "Auf wiedersehen, Prinz Eugen. I'd say it's been nice knowing you." She prepared to finish off the panicking ship herself. "But I'm not a lying schlampe."

Two barrages of explosives rained down on Prinz Eugen, finishing her off spectacularly as her last moments were spent begging for mercy. Bismarck's grin didn't even fade as her ally approached her, anger and worry visible on her face as she saw the damaged main gun.

"Bismarck! You've been hit!" Hood pointed out the obvious, trying to call the commander for backup, but he didn't answer as Bismarck put her hand on the union jacket of the battlecruiser.

"Focus on the mission, mein fraulein." Bismarck shook her head as her ship reappeared, accidentally catching the Royal Navy ship off guard as the damaged cannon stopped sparking. "The important thing is that I got to watch Prinz Eugen die begging for mercy like the _worm she was._ That is all I need."

Hood had recovered from her shock and was now on the bow of the ship, looking ahead to the Azur Lane base, barely visible on the horizon. "I suppose you got the same satisfaction I got the day I… Sank you."

Bismarck joined her in looking out to the ocean. "Ja. Mein fraulein… I must confess." She continued to look out at the slowly growing base of which she dreamed of destroying but now lived in. "Prinz Eugen would have sunk me if you didn't intervene like you did. She caught me off guard and as you obviously saw…" She pointed to her damaged gun. "But even if she didn't do that, I'm not used to your tech… I wasn't able to hit a single target while on the range. You saved me Hood. I'm eternally grateful."

Hood smiled. "Always a pleasure. A flagship such as myself always takes care of her fleet."

"Hey, isn't this the Azur Lane base?" One of the crew members pointed to the base that they were rapidly approaching.

"Well it's not _Iron Blood_, is it?" Another asked.

"Did… Did Bismarck lie to us?!" A third cried out in betrayal.

"Maybe… But she did save us from that heavy cruiser. She could have gone for us next." The first one admitted.

"Guess we should have figured it out when Hood started firing at Prinz Eugen." The second one pondered.

"Glad she's sunk, honestly." The third one admitted. "Always thought she hung around the wrong crowd."

Bismarck silently seethed as Hood looked at her with worry. "Bismarck?"

"One moment." she walked over to the left of the ship, where the cargo ship was sailing alongside hers now. "YOU DISRESPECTFUL DISGRACE OF A SAILOR. IF I **EVER** HEAR YOU SPEAK ILL OF A SUNKEN SHIP AGAIN, I WILL MAKE SURE _YOU'RE_ THE NEXT ONE WHO DROWNS!" She _screamed_ at the third sailor in utter rage before heading back next to Hood. "You were saying?"

Hood was shocked by the sudden outburst. "I…"

"Iron Blood runs on honor. One of our oaths is to **never** speak ill of the fallen. I might not have liked Prinz Eugen, but I will respect her in death. May she rest well." She looked down into the water as her ship entered the dock of Azur Lane, various shipgirls enjoying their time off in the midday sun.

"I'll show the cargo ship where to drop off the cannons… And ask for their boss's contact information. White Heart can take care of that when she gets back from her vacation and White Heart takes complaints **very **seriously." Hood hopped off KMS Bismarck, before heading to and disengaging her own rigging, HMS Hood now sat alongside the battleship as she headed to the cargo ship. "Gentlemen, I'll show you were to drop off your cargo. Have you been paid?"

The two crewmates who weren't yelled at shook their heads. "Crimson Axis promised payment on delivery and the Iron Blood in particular are _very_ insistent on being on time."

"I'll get the Commander to pay you two double what you're owed for inconvenience. I do sincerely apologise on behalf of Azur Lane for deceiving you, but if you were working for us and Crimson Axis came across you..."

"Yeah, we've heard rumors that Bismarck blew up a cargo ship herself in an ambush gone wrong." The first sailor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "So you see why we had to work for them instead of you. Sorry."

Hood shook her head. "Don't even worry about it. We're only hijacking their deliveries in order to protect humanity, after all. Even if we do have to play dirty, we do have your best interests in mind." Hood beamed. "Come on then, I've talked your ear off enough and the Commander will be elated to hear the good news!" She finished as the ship started to move into the cargo bay.

"Such a diplomat." Bismark remarked, listening from her own ship, impressed by how Hood expertly navigated what was essentially a hijacking.

"Hood is a lot of things, but a diplomat is one of her defining qualities." Enterprise had gotten on KMS Bismarck and now stood next to the former Iron Blood leader. "How'd the mission go?" She went straight to business.

"Well enough. I got ambushed by a heavy cruiser, but Hood helped me take her out." Bismarck couldn't exactly _lie_ about her damaged cannon, after all.

"We all drop the ball sometimes." Enterprise leaned on the railing of the battleship. "I wouldn't worry about it."

Bismarck would have nodded in agreement, but she remembered her boast in the briefing. "_Iron Blood doesn't fuck up._" She repeated, sighing as her first mission as an Azur Lane ship ended with unnecessary damage.

"If you hold yourself responsible for a simple lapse in judgement, losing an ally would probably scar you." Enterprise reasoned logically. "Who did you sink?"

"Prinz Eugen." She replied honestly, sighing as she did so. "I never liked her that much, but in Iron Blood we didn't speak ill of the sunken."

"In Azur Lane we remember them." Enterprise patted the back of her new teammate, the aircraft carrier smiling sadly. "You should ask Hood about her group photo of the Royal Navy ships at some point… See how much blood is on your hands."

Enterprise started to walk away as Bismarck considered her words. "How many has Hood herself sunk?"

Enterprise stopped. "Do you want the truth, or the answer that will make you happy?"

Bismarck briefly considered the latter. "The truth."

"One hundred and twenty-five." Enterprise stated simply. "The most ships she ever sunk on a mission was twelve, after the loss of Ark Royal."

… "And how many of those were Iron Blood?"

"Seventy-two, including yourself."

Bismarck took the picture she kept of Prinz Eugen, an unwanted gift before her last mission as an Iron Blood ship. "Make it seventy-three." She tore the image in half, tossing the photo into the water, the paper wetting then sinking, like the traitor herself.

"I've heard of your spat with Prinz Eugen from the other Iron Blood ships who have been stationed here. I don't believe Hood sunk her. Not for a moment." Enterprise started to walk away again.

Before Enterprise could hop off the battleship, Bismarck spoke one last time. "She helped. Does that count towards the blood on her hands?"

Enterprise nodded, though the Iron Blood shipgirl couldn't see her. "Seventy-three it is. Can't believe you'd swallow your pride and say she helped."

"She did a lot more than _help_, mein fraulein… She saved me." She admitted to her former enemy, the truth flowing like water from a tap now.

"She saves as many as she can, because every loss takes her closer to the brink." Enterprise said with a sad smile. "She blames herself for each and every sinking of a Royal Navy ship. I heard what happened on the day she sank you, so you probably understand _why_ goading her like that was a mistake now… I'd have done the same thing if you taunted me with the death of Yorktown or Hornet. Good thing I'm the best aircraft carrier in Eagle Union, huh?"

"I've heard legends of you being the best aircraft carrier in Azur Lane, the Grey Ghost who haunts the Crimson Axis." The former Crimson Axis mentioned rather candidly. "Akagi is scared of you. She'll never admit it because it's a point of pride for her, but she and Kaga pale in comparison to you if the legends are to be believed."

Silence fell between the two. "Akagi was why I lost Saratoga. I swear on her legacy, that aircraft carrier won't see the end of this war." Bitterness was in her voice as she finally left the battleship to contemplate their conversation.

"Akagi… You really have made a lot of enemies over here, haven't you?"

* * *

"Easy does it… Easy does it." USS Helena instructed her idol partner USS San Diego as the crane lowered the speaker for their next concert to inspire the troops of Eagle Union…

That was the excuse, anyway. Everyone in Eagle Union and Azur Lane in general knew they just enjoyed the performance part of it and left them be. Especially for Helena, who was one of the more timid ships in the fleet but provided invaluable support both off and on the battlefield so the Commander turned a blind eye… But still unironically listened to _Dimension Tripper! _when he thought he was alone.

Sighing, the unofficial leader of Eagle Union approached the duo of idols. "Still slacking off, I see." She wasn't exactly amused.

"A-ah! Enterprise!" Helena immediately stood to attention, the Eagle Union aircraft carrier rolling her eyes.

"At ease. Just wondering if you could perform a little closer to Bismarck." She pointed to where the battleship containing the ship laid on the dock. "She seems a little down after her first mission and I want her to feel welcome."

Had this been any other Eagle Union ship, Helena would have denied the request, citing that they were already nearly set up and it took over an _hour_, but this was _Enterprise._ "Y-yes ma'am!" She turned to the aspiring idol in the crane. "Sandy! We're moving closer to the dock!"

"WHAT!?" The shock from the order made the light cruiser drop the speaker she was moving, causing it to crash to the ground. "AW SON OF A _BIT-_"

"**NOT IN FRONT OF ENTY!"** Helena yelled, trying to stop the cussing singer as the aircraft carrier left the scene.

"Hell of a work ethic…" She muttered to herself "Too bad we can't have that on the battlefield more often."

* * *

"Send the bill to Azur Lane." Hood had helped unload the new Iron Blood cannons in the cargo bay. Along with making sure the cannons were actually _there_, she wanted to ensure there were no hard feelings after the incident earlier with Bismarck. It seemed there weren't as the sailors seemed nice enough, if a little jumpy.

"Will do. Thanks for the help, Miss Hood." Two of the sailors were on the cargo deck, having delivered all the new equipment with the Royal Navy ship's help.

"Please stick to Hood."

"S-Sorry, Hood!" The sailors saluted as the battlecruiser sighed.

"It's quite alright. Please stay safe on your return to the delivery firm." She waved off the cargo ship as it started the long journey back to its base as Hood inspected the cannons herself.

Admittedly she wasn't much of a mechanic, but she could admire Iron Blood's sleek design of their weaponry. Sliding her hand over the cool, smooth steel, she wondered if Bismarck would let her borrow a pair for her next deployment.

She shook her head. Where did that come from? Her cannons were the top of the line, newly developed set of Royal Navy's artillery division. Sure, the Iron Blood tech _could_ be better, but she'd also have to spend hours down at the firing range adjusting to the weight of the cannons on her rigging, which she had no time for anymore due to how frequently she was deployed these days.

"I see it went well." The Commander walked into the cargo bay, smiling at the latest deployment going perfectly, as expected of Azur Lane's premier shipgirl.

"Well, if not perfect. Bismarck took some damage and lost a cannon. Her ship's in the main dock." Hood shook her head. "We managed to sink Prinz Eugen at least."

"Great! Another Iron Blood lieutenant down. I do find it weird that the Sakura Empire aren't sending more of their own ships… Do you think Bismarck would know anything about that?" The Commander pondered.

"We'll ask her later. As you might imagine, I don't want to put too much pressure on her after her first deployment. I saw Enterprise going up to her ship before helping unload the cargo, so I'll ask her later." Hood explained. "Aside from that, do I have any more deployments today?"

Pulling out his phone, the Commander looked at the list. "Nope. You got the rest of the day off. I really _did_ think it'd go worse than expected, that's why I booked the rest of the day off for you to unwind."

"Thanks." Hood gave the Commander a peck on his cheek. "Anything comes up, don't hesitate to ring." With a wave, Hood left the Commander to inspect the new weaponry.

* * *

"Prinz Eugen is gone? A shame." Akagi was listening to Ayanami's summary of the most recent failure of Crimson Axis, completely unaware of her deception.

"It is. Azur Lane are growing stronger by the day." Ayanami stated in a neutral tone, completely sick of the war. She simply wanted to stop fighting, but Akagi knew of her hidden strength and kept sending her out despite her insistence on staying behind. It's why she started to not fight at all during her deployments.

"You know… I'm shocked you haven't taken down any ships in quite a while." Akagi tilted her head as she supported it with a single hand. "Is there something wrong?"

Ayanami blinked. "Yes. I have told you several times that I wish to leave Crimson Axis. I yearn for peace. I have sent in the appropriate form multiple times and yet you have not responded to any of them."

Akagi gave a sigh. "I'd reject them personally, but you wouldn't get the message unless I told you to your face. You can't leave Crimson Axis. You'd jeopardize the lives of your fellow shipgirls that look up to you."

Ayanami showed no emotion in her face. "No. Their lives are in jeopardy because you refuse to realize how pointless this war truly is, despite your comrades dying left and right around you. This war will get to a point where you and Kaga will have to go deal with Azur Lane personally…"

Ayanami turned around. "And then you will perish for your stubbornness." She left the room without another word, leaving the foxgirl carrier alone to contemplate.

"I gave you every chance Ayanami. I really did." Akagi got out of her throne and headed to her safe behind the wall. Taking out her personal key, she unlocked it, opening it to reveal her plans.

Sorting out the documents, she pulled one out in particular. Namely, one involving a fake escort that would lead right to Azur Lane's waters.

A suicide mission for any solo ship and a trick she could pull only once… But Ayanami had failed her for the last time.

* * *

"Are you **serious?**" HMS Illustrious slammed her hands on the Commander's desk, having just been told the bad news.

"The math just checks out, Illustrious." The Commander tried not to focus on the pressing issue of the bouncing meat puppies in front of him, as Hood was in the room.

"The math checks out? **YOU WANT TO DEPLOY MY LITTLE SISTER INTO THE **_**WAR!**_"

The usually calm and collected aircraft carrier maid hadn't been this angry since the one time the Commander had been caught up in that media shitstorm… Or the night raid on Taranto where she annihilated multiple ships despite the darkness of the night.

"The math. Checks out." The Commander rubbed his temples. "Unicorn can heal the fleet mid-fight and she'd always be in the backlines due to being a light aircraft carrier. Look… I'm willing to compromise on this."

"I'm **not**!" Illustrious slammed her gloved hands onto the table again. "She's my _**sister**__!_"

"Commander… I have to agree. She's the youngest ship in the Royal Navy and the only reason she has rigging in the first place is that it's a requirement to live here." Hood remained neutral on the situation, but had to support her Royal Navy comrade.

"I know it _sounds_ wrong to be drafting someone as young as her in-"

"It is." They both said simultaneously."Especially someone as timid as her, who is jumpy around _strangers_ and needs to be with me almost all the time, never mind in an **actual war!**"

"It's a learning experience?" He shrugged, to which Illustrious gave the _deadliest _of glares.

"**No.**"

The Commander sighed. "Fine. What if I put her on _one_ deployment-"

"**No.**"

"But it'll be a _simple escort_-"

"**No…**"

"And I'll specifically have you and Hood in the backlines as well."

"... I'll consider it." She sat back with a sigh. "I know she keeps wanting to come with me on deployment and I don't like leaving her in the base on her own."

I nodded. "Next escort deployment I'll set you guys up with Helena and Laffey too, for extra safety." He sighed inwardly. "I do need a third vanguard ship for future full deployments."

Hood sighed. "USS Minneapolis still on her hunt?"

"Still won't return my calls." He confirmed. "Shame too, she was a ruthless killing machine."

"A shame. I'll look around the Royal Navy in a bit to see if Javelin would like to hang out with Laffey. I know the two are buddies, at least." Hood offered, if nothing else she could take advantage of her time off and catch up with some of her friends over there.

"Well, if that'll be all, I'd best get going." Illustrious got up, her assets bouncing again as she did so. "Have a meeting with Belfast and the rest of the maids. Apparently we're not working hard enough on keeping the base presentable."

It took all the Commander's strength to not headdesk. "I keep telling her that it's unnecessary."

"We _all_ do." Hood sighed, craving caffeine. "I'll go make some tea. Good day to the both of you." She proceeded to leave with Illustrious, giving the Commander some privacy as he examined the blueprints for HMS Unicorn on his desktop.

"It _doesn't_ make any sense." He muttered. "How can she _heal_ ships by launching planes?.. But at the same time it would be so invaluable…"


	4. Stage 1-4: The Unfulfilled Promise

Bismarck was still on her battleship, thinking things through as the sound of a crane broke her concentration. Looking towards the source of the noise, it seems a stage show was being set up. Well, it was something different at least. Getting off of her battleship, she examined the show being set up near her ship. It seemed to be some sort of concert, judging by the blue haired ship tuning her guitar and the red haired one using a crane to lower a speaker.

"Huh, so this is what you do when not on deployment?" Bismarck pondered aloud, causing the blue haired girl to jump.

"Ah! Didn't see you there, too focused on my work." She gave the guitar a quick strum, confirming it was tuned properly before putting it down and hopping off the stage. "I'm USS Helena, the main "Info Girl" of Azur Lane." She took out a hand to shake Bismarck's.

"KMS Bismarck, your intel was very useful on my deployment." She thanked before letting go of the scout ship's hand.

"A pleasure. While I don't usually enjoy deployment due to my nerves, I love hanging out here at Azur Lane with my friend Sandy!" She pointed to the redhead who gave a polite wave before getting back to work.

"Well, I'll be watching from my ship-" She turned around only to see her battleship being towed away for repairs. "... Nevermind."

Helena politely giggled. "Probably for the best if you got your repairs done sooner rather than later. Azur Lane gets pretty busy after a deployment and you'll probably want the new Iron Blood guns over the ones you were using."

Helena had gotten her dead to rights. "Fair point. It looks like you'll take a while to set up anyway, so I'll be back later."

Helena nodded. "Safe travels!" She proceeded to get back on stage and continue tuning her guitar as Bismarck left to go wander around the base some more.

* * *

Hood smiled as she walked around the Royal Navy dormitories, teacup firmly in hand. She smiled and gave polite greetings to her fellow Royal Navy shipgirls, who had nothing but respect for the battlecruiser for obvious reasons. Being the Commander's beloved would be one thing, but she earned that Oath through her own hard work and a little bit being to his taste.

Really, Long Island never stood a chance once she was summoned.

* * *

"_Are you the Commander?" Hood asked simply as she stepped out of the summoning machine, slightly dazed but quickly regaining her composure as the Commander curtly nodded._

"_That I am. I must say, you are quite the sight miss…"_

_She saluted. "I am Her Majesty's Glory, Admiral-class Battlecruiser Hull Number 51, HMS Hood. Though you may stick to Hood, Commander."_

"_My, quite the intro for yourself." He was stricken by her beauty, grace and confidence in herself. "I guess you're a Royal Navy ship, then?"_

_Hood grinned in response. "Not just a Royal Navy ship. I __**am**_ _the glory of the Royal Navy itself. Under my banner, we shall crush all who oppose us."_

_The Commander nodded. "Well, I did need a flagship for the Royal Navy… I know you're the new ship on the block, but once you exude that sort of confidence on the other ships, I'm sure they'll rally behind you."_

_She nodded. "Sounds quite alright. If you're open to it, I could also act as your Secretary, at least until my first deployment. I want to get to know my new CO a bit."_

_He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, Long Island __**has**_ _been slacking on that lately. Mind doing a bit of her backlog?"_

* * *

Admittedly Hood didn't really like the Commander at first. A little too blunt and he definitely hit the drink hard when off the clock. But in her early days, she was too brash and confident in herself. It took until her first duel with Bismarck to realize that she wasn't as invincible as she made herself out to be and reeled it back, but still maintained her air of dignity.

"It is amazing what humility can do for someone." She muttered to herself as she nearly bumped into someone. "O-oh!" She stepped back in horror of her _faux pas_, nearly dropping her tea in sheer embarrassment. "Are you quite alright?"

The unfamiliar face shook her head, her waist length cyan hair bouncing around as her orange eyes looked on in panic. "O-oh! My apologies. I was just trying to find my way around the base… I'm HMS Neptune." She offered a hand.

"HMS Hood, a pleasure to… Is that a maid dress?" In her surprise, she had only just noticed her clothing which was in fact, a simple maid dress.

"Oh… Yes, this is the outfit I was "born" in, correct." She rubbed her head nervously. "Apologies, I was just built this morning."

Hood blinked. Usually shipgirls were _summoned_, not built in base. "Huh, the Commander never told me about this."

"He said I was a secret project. Worked off the books along with a trusted band of scientists. Apparently the plans were lying about, as the Royal Navy never really _considered_ building me before now." She explained before giving a salute. "I'm willing to give my all for Azur Lane, even if I am new!"

Hood responded with a curt nod, her composure not wavering despite her confusion. "Welcome aboard. Your enthusiasm has been noted. If you'd like, I can show you around the dormitories, as I have the rest of the day to myself."

Neptune's orange eyes sparkled with happiness. "Wow! Thank you Miss Hood!"

"Please stick to Hood. I'm the Commander's beloved, after all." She showed her Oath ring to the newly constructed Light Cruiser.

"O-oh! My apologies! I'm still getting used to everyone around here." She apologised in a panic with a bow for good measure.

Hood dismissed her concerns. "Don't worry about it, I'm not one to make it obvious after all. If you're a new ship, that also means you haven't heard of my tales of battlefield glory…"

* * *

Bismarck wandered around the Iron Blood dormitories, the walls being decorated with pictures of various pieces of their tech. Iron Blood certainly had pride for their technology, anyone could see that.

One of the pictures hung up caught her attention, as a familiar head of blue hair caused her to examine the picture further.

In the picture was Bismarck herself, but that face… Those adorable little pigtails and those big, hopeful eyes…

"U-556…"

* * *

"_Bismarck!" Akagi yelled over the communication line. "You __**have**_ _to go! I'm sending Iron Blood reinforcements as we speak, so just retre-"_

"_Commander. I refuse." She stated point blank as she stared down the Glory of the Royal Navy herself as they prepared to duel, quite possibly for the final time._

"_Are you- You don't even have the new cannons you keep asking for, how do you expect to beat __**Hood**__?"_

"_... Iron Blood doesn't fuck up, that's how." With that, Bismarck cut off all comms._

"_Talking to your Commander like that, eh?" Hood taunted. "You know that'll get you reprimanded… Well, if you live to tell the tale that is." She trained her cannons on her sworn nemesis. "I'll just make this easier on you and kill you myself."_

"_Mein fraulein... " Bismarck responded in kind. "I could say the exact same thing about you."_

* * *

"_Bismarck? BISMARCK! Goddammit!" Akagi slammed her fist in sheer rage that her own unit had just cut her off like that as she turned to her supporting officer. "Kaga! Send out U-556. Get her to sink Hood so this silly spat can end."_

_The white foxgirl simply nodded. "U-556. You have orders to locate and rescue KMS Bismarck. Do you copy?"_

"_I copy, Kaga." The young submarine loaded up her torpedos as she prepared for her new deployment. "I will get big sis back!"_

"_Very good." The line went dead as Kaga turned to Akagi. "Consider it done."_

_Akagi massaged her temple. Iron Blood were always so insistent on following Bismarck's orders over hers. Even Kaga had more sway than her, despite attempts at getting friendly with Prinz Eugen._

"_Always so rebellious. Clearly they aren't fit to live in the world I have planned…"_

* * *

"_KMS Bismarck, are you there?" The submarine tried to open communications with the battleship, but all she could find was static, even when looking through every channel she could._

_Sick with worry, she turned her engines to maximum output, risking detection from ships above but needing to find Bismarck before it was too late._

_Five minutes passed._

_Ten minutes passed._

_Fifteen agonizing minutes of dodging enemy fire and she found the last known location of Bismarck. Surfacing once she ensured that there were no Azur Lane ships nearby, she couldn't find her anywhere…_

_Then she found the debris, Iron Blood flag still burning bright despite almost everything else being scattered and destroyed. A final act of defiance against Azur Lane._

_Tears in her eyes, U-556 had to keep her professionalism as she opened communications with Kaga. "This is U-556… This has gone from a rescue mission to a retrieval. How do you want me to proceed?"_

_Kaga looked at Akagi. "Bismarck's gone." Was all she had to say, genuine sadness in her voice. While Akagi and Bismarck had always butted heads, the white foxgirl always got on with the leader of Iron Blood, mostly due to working together so much. Kaga was __**technically**_ _the one running Iron Blood, but the ships went on Bismarck's orders… Well, they did._

"_What a waste of time." Akagi spat. "Bring her back. Don't even bother with the wreckage."_

"_But Commander-"_

"_Leave it to rust. She should have obeyed my command." With that, the leader of Crimson Axis left the communication room._

"_I'm sorry U-556. I truly am. Please return to base, you must be distraught." Even if she couldn't let U-556 retrieve the remains, she could be supportive._

"_... U-556 returning to base." The submarine closed the line. Taking one last look at the wreckage, she saluted the ship that she served loyally, before turning around and making the journey back to Iron Blood's headquarters._

* * *

"..." Bismarck was at a loss for words. She had been so busy she forgot about the submarine that gave her the one thing Crimson Axis couldn't. **Hope.**

"I hope that one day we can reunite. My own hubris cost you so much…" She muttered, a single tear rolling down the former Iron Blood's face as she continued to look for her dorm.

* * *

Ayanami was inspecting her ship, ensuring that the sleek Sakura Empire destroyer would have enough fuel for her next task when U-556 came on board.

"Oh. U-556." She said in her usual neutral tone. "Strange to see you here."

The young submarine stared right into The Demon's soul. "You've met Akagi. Are the rumors going around Crimson Axis true?"

Ayanami blinked. She didn't really talk to anyone outside of the ships that looked up to her and well, they talked _at_ her, not _to_ her. "What rumors?"

"The one about Bismarck working for Azur Lane now? Is this just hearsay or…"

"According to Akagi, she is." She stated factually. "However, I left my last mission before I could see her. I only saw HMS Hood."

U-556 clenched her fist at the mention of that accursed name, before looking right back the Sakura Empire's finest. "Then I'm going. Don't. Tell. Anyone."

She turned to leave, but Ayanami stopped her. "Going where?"

"Azur Lane. Big sis is waiting for me."

Is she deserting? "I thought Iron blood stuck together, through thick and thin… You're really deserting the Crimson Axis and going right for Azur Lane? That seems… Rather suicidal."

The submarine's resolve steeled. "In that case I'll die getting to her." She walked off without another word. She would have gotten off the boat to chase her, but the comms suddenly crackled to life.

"Ayanami." Akagi's voice surprised her. "There's a shipment of Sakura Empire torpedos incoming. I'm sending you out to make sure it gets here safely. I'll send you the coordinates via radio... I will be **very** disappointed if you fail me again."

The line shut off as suddenly as it came on, but Ayanami had her orders… Not that she was going to _obey_ them.

The little submarine gave her an idea.

* * *

"Well, if you have any more questions about Azur Lane, you know where to find me." Hood had done her best to show the newly built HMS Neptune around the vast, sprawling base. While she had the Commander to help her out when she was first summoned… He didn't do a very good job but she figured it out eventually.

"T-thank you!" Neptune was still a little jumpy, but seemed eager to help. "I'll do my best on my first deployment for you, Hood!"

With a curt salute, the Light Cruiser headed off to make friends with the other Royal Navy ships. Hood simply smiled. Even in this day and age, the Commander could surprise her.

Feeling a vibration in her pocket, Hood pulled out her personal phone. It was the Commander again. "I know I said to call me if anything came up, but…"

"Well, something **did** come up. Meet me in the briefing room. Crimson Axis may be mounting an attack."

The line went dead. Hood froze for a moment, before doing a swift turn on her heel and _sprinting_ towards the exit of the dormatires, towards the briefing room itself.

* * *

"A Crimson Axis submarine? That can't be right…" Bismarck shook her head after hearing the news. "Only Iron Blood have those at the moment and even then, we rarely let them go out on missions…"

Hood burst through the door, heavily panting after her trip to the briefing room. "What's the situation?" She tried to remain calm as the Commander sighed.

"I really should have gone over this _after_ you came, but-"

"There's a "Crimson Axis" submarine that's been detected near Azur Lane's waters." Bismarck finger quoted. "I was _just saying_ to the Commander that only Iron Blood use submarines and even _then_ it's incredibly rare… As far as I know, anyway."

"Then either Sakura Empire have gotten on the wagon…" Hood put a hand to her chin. "Or it's one of yours, Bismarck."

Bismarck looked away. She always cared for the submarines more than almost anyone else. They were young, so full of life… And they looked up to her.

Steeling her resolve, Bismarck got up, adjusting her cap. "I'll go."

The Commander blinked. "Excuse me? I give the orders-"

"And I'm _telling_ you I'm going." Bismarck's tone turned deadly serious. "If it's an Iron Blood submarine, they're either here to kill me… Or deserting Crimson Axis voluntarily."

Hood looked on at the battleship, determination in her eyes. "In that case… I'll have to come with you. Your ship's being repaired and HMS Hood is still on the dock. It'll be the fastest way to get to them." She reasoned.

Bismarck nodded. "And if it _is_ an ambush, you can warn Azur Lane via coms."

The two left, leaving the Commander dumbstruck.

"The _hell?_"

* * *

Sailing across the crystal clear waters, Bismarck leant over the railing of her former nemesis, directly mirroring their conversation earlier in the day while on KMS Bismarck.

"Are you holding up well?" Hood looked at her fellow hsip with concern. "You seem worried."

"It's just that the submarine regiment always looked up to me." Bismarck explained, guilt written on her face. "Taking out Prinz Eugen? We never liked each other anyway, Goddesses rest her rigging. The submarines were like my daughters. If it happens to be an ambush… Go easy on them."

Hood couldn't really nod to that request. Her ship, hell her _life_ would be on the line in that situation, nevermind the rest of Azur Lane. "I…"

"I know the answer already." Bismarck sighed. "Don't let your former rival boss you around like that. It was quite a silly request, after all."

"If they are hostile… I'll give them hell on high water." Hood stated simply. "Azur Lane is my home and if I am to sink defending it, then I will. My apologies, Bismarck."

"Simple, direct and to the point. You really are a diplomat." Bismarck smiled as a figure appeared on the horizon. Familiar blue hair gave Bismarck even more cause for concern, causing the smile to fall instantly. "No… No… No no no no. Goddesses above, **no.**"

"Hmm?" Hood looked out to the figure approaching them. She was young and riding some form of submarine, so she clearly was the one they were looking for.

Hood slowed her ship to a standstill as the figure made up the distance quickly. After stopping, she looked up at the duo. "Guten tag!" She greeted in with a wave. "My designation is U-556! Permission to come aboard?"

Hood nodded. "Leave the submersible in the water and you can come aboard." Doing as instructed, the young girl ran up the stairs on the left of the ship, catching a glimpse of a familiar black, red and white hat as she did so. She suddenly stopped as Bismarck took a deep breath and turned around.

She didn't want to believe that it was her. This shouldn't be happening. Not like this…

"Big sis! You're alive!" U-556 rushed towards the battleship, embracing her in a crushing hug as she did so.

"So you're the submarine giving the Commander worry." Hood struggled to hide her genuine smile as Bismarck silently wept, clutching onto U-556 like she would disappear again if she let go.

"Y-yes!" She nodded affirmatively, before realising who she was talking to. "Wait! You're the _bitch_ who sank my sister!"

"Oh dear…" Hood said as the submarine let go of her "sister" and approached her. "I knew that Azur Lane were no good! You killed her and _enslaved_ her to bend to your commands!"

"W-wait!" Hood's diplomatic facade was falling apart as the sassy submersible ship stood face to face with her. Well, she would be but she was a _lot shorter_, making things a tad more awkward than they already were.

Hood took a _deep_ breath for this. "Look. I know that Bismarck and I… _had our differences_, but-"

"U-556. Stand down." Bismarck sternly stated and the submarine did just that. "I thank you for your service Hood, but this is a matter I intend to solve **myself** as an Iron Blood ship and former commanding officer."

Hood got the message as she headed for the rear of the boat, still within earshot if anything went wrong.

Bismarck got down on one knee, meeting U-556's eyes and seeing the ruby-like irises as they shone with hope and potential. "Meine kleine schwester… You have to understand. I was brought back from my grave **by** Azur Lane. The only reason why we're even talking is because the Commander enlisted my help personally. A lot of other Iron Blood ships are in the same… Boat." She sighed at her own pun.

"B-But Commander Akagi-"

"Akagi is a two-faced hure, mein fraulein. I was sent out to die because I learned of her true intentions. Once Azur Lane are done with…"

"She'll come for Iron Blood next." A familiar destroyer entered the scene, fully equipped with her rigging. "I am sorry for interrupting your reunion, but I've been overhearing talk from Commander… No, _just_ Akagi and Commander Kaga." Ayanami explained as Hood prepared to step in. "HMS Hood. I am here for the same reason U-556 is. Please give us a chance."

Hood blinked. "The same reason?"

The destroyer turned to the battlecruiser. "I wish to desert Crimson Axis and join Azur Lane myself. I know a **lot** of things the Crimson Axis are up to, including the mole in Azur Lane itself."

Hood put a hand to her chin. "I have been hearing rumors about that… But how do I know _you're_ not the mole?"

Ayanami took off her Crimson Axis issue communication device, already turned off and threw it to the ground before stomping on it. "I'm sure U-556 has left her device in Iron Blood's base."

The submarine blushed before rubbing the back of her head. "I _was_ in a bit of a rush… But I'm only here for Big Sis! Please, Bismarck, retire from Azur Lane and we can live happily together…"

The look on the battleship's face was all U-556 needed for an answer as she sighed. "The Commander would never allow it. My reputation is my biggest downfall, it seems."

"Regardless, we have no ill intentions and as proven by Bismarck herself, Crimson Axis are _willing_ to work with Azur Lane." Ayanami pondered aloud. "The problem is Akagi herself. She thinks highly of herself and has gone mad with power. In fact, I was sent here on a suicide mission by Akagi herself."

Hood hadn't moved an inch. "Interesting. The last time we encountered each other, you left without a fight as well. Commander?"

"..." He had been listening to the entire exchange and was deeply concentrating.

"You only mentioned Akagi. What about Kaga?" Bismarck remarked, remembering her beloved old friend.

"Kaga is more than capable of leading Iron Blood by herself and has been doing so since the sinking of Prinz Eugen this morning. In fact, she may be willing to surrender once Akagi is destroyed and she becomes the leader of Crimson Axis by default." Ayanami reasoned, having seen the chain of command document herself many times.

"In that case…" The Commander's voice crackled over the voice comms. "You can both join Azur Lane."

U-556 stood up in shock. "W-what? I'm just here for Bismarck and-"`she thought for a moment.

"Iron Blood has their own dormitory. As do Sakura Empire." Bismarck explained. "I explored both this morning after my deployment. If you join Azur Lane, you'll be housed with the rest of the former Crimson Axis Iron Blood ships…" Bismarck grinned. "Including me."

"I…" U-556 thought about how she was betraying Crimson Axis, about how the other Crimson Axis ships would feel. The only person she hadn't thought about was herself, actually…

The submarine stood up, resolve flowing through her veins as she made her choice. "I'll do it."

"As will I." Ayanami nodded in agreement. "I wish for this war to be over so I can live peacefully. The easiest way to do that is to destroy Akagi."

"That's pretty hardcore. Hood, get back to base with our new recruits. I need to enlist them formally." The Commander, finally back in his usual tone ordered. "I'll get the paperwork set up while I wait for your return."

Hood nodded, the situation being resolved in the best possible way. "HMS Hood, returning to base."

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was written before I saw episodes 7-9 of Azur Lane. Certain plot elements (Such as Ayanami joining Azur Lane) happened to line up with the show, if not _exactly_ the same way.

I assure you, this was a coincidence, even if I kinda _guessed_ that Ayanami would pull this from earlier episodes. I could go more about my thoughts on the anime in general, but this is a fanfiction, not a goddamn blog.

**Edit From The Future (November 30th, 2020):** Updated AyaNami's name to not be spelled AyaYami. I blame the Ayaya meme for that...


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